Season opener a close-run affair

THE 2012 golf season got under way at Wick with the captain versus vice-captain’s match last Saturday.

Twenty-nine members took part and the match was a close-run affair which ended in a draw.

The first competition of the season, the Cancer Relief Medal, was played last Sunday with 57 members competing – one of the largest entries for a club competition for some time. Scoring was good as new green keeper James Taylor and his squad have put in a power of work on the course during the last two months with great swathes of rough having been cut and the presentation of the course possibly the it best has ever been. Also, the weather could not have been much better on a warm sunny day with a slight south-easterly breeze.

Ian Coghill (9) made the best of the conditions to return a superb nett 65 to win the competition by three strokes.

He had some great scores in the winter competitions and continued this rich vein of form, making the best of starts with a birdie at the first hole. He dropped shots at the third and fourth to make amends with another birdie at the eighth hole to go out in one-over-par 36.

Playing into a slight breeze, he did well to come back in 38 which included a birdie at the 15th.

Second was Russell Angus (14) with a nett 68. Angus played steady golf to reach the turn in 43 and played well below his handicap to come back in 39.

David Walker (20) is another who played well in the winter competitions and continued this fine run to take third with a nett 69. Walker played great golf until the 15th hole but a disastrous double bogey, triple bogey, triple bogey, double bogey finish ruined what could have been a winning score.

Next with nett 70s were two former captains – William Murray (5) and Ian Thomson (5) – with Murray claiming fourth on a better last six holes.

Murray got off to a great start with a birdie at the first followed by another at the seventh to go out in 38, and he played fine golf to come back in 37. Thomson made a poor start with bogeys at the first two holes but made amends with a birdie at the eighth to go out in 38 and played well to come back in 37.

Best scratch score came from Wick’s Ron Taylor with a level-par 69 to easily win the scratch prize by five shots from David Nicolson. Taylor got off to a flying start with a birdie at the first followed by further birdies at the sixth and ninth holes to reach the turn in three-under-par 32, a magnificent effort. Playing back into the breeze, Taylor could not maintain his momentum dropping shots at the 11th, 13th and 18th holes to come back in 37.

Nicolson played super golf to reach the turn in 36 with a birdie at the third but also struggled into the breeze to come back in 38.

The next competition is the April Medal which is being played on Sunday.